Our Mission and Goals

At Camp Hanes, our goal is for each child to increase their own sense of accomplishment and belonging while they learn about the positive character traits of a hero. We do this through well trained staff, carefully planned programs and facilities that are second to none in the southeast.

A child learns accomplishment through developing skills and trying new activities such as horseback riding, archery, swimming, the Blob and Zip Line. For many campers being away from home for a week is an accomplishment in itself. Our Goal is to find the positive accomplishments and use that to build a strong foundation for the future.

A camper learns about a sense of belonging by making friends and being a friend. Living in a cabin with ten other children and two counselors gives each child a lesson in teamwork and relationship building. Everyone has a role and is valued at Camp Hanes. It is imperative to know we all belong in God’s kingdom.

The character traits of a hero are taught in many ways. We use Jesus as our ultimate role model. Camp Hanes places an emphasis on learning from mistakes and always trying your hardest. It’s not about failing- it’s about getting up and improving. The character traits we specifically work on are Honesty, Caring, respect, Responsibility and Faith.

For more than eighty years, Camp Hanes has been a safe quality place for children in the summer. Positive, experienced and Christian leadership has been the key to our long standing success. A well trained core of counselors uphold that tradition of excellence and are dedicated to serving children as role models and mentors. In addition to teaching the core character values, counselors focus on teaching children how to make friends. We are pleased to carry on that tradition.

YMCA Camp Hanes continues to stay strong because of our commitment to safety. Camp is proud to maintain a staff to camper ratio of 1:4. In addition to unmatched supervision, our facility is an ACA (American Camping Association) accredited camp. The ACA is a nationally recognized organization that has developed a set of standards and procedures focusing on program quality, health and safety issues within the camping industry. ACA requires camp to train all staff in First Aid, CPR, AED’s and Oxygen Administration. We also maintain a well-equipped Health Center with two medical personnel on residence as well as an on-call doctor.